From kde-core-devel  Tue Dec 07 12:25:10 2004
From: Waldo Bastian <bastian () kde ! org>
Date: Tue, 07 Dec 2004 12:25:10 +0000
To: kde-core-devel
Subject: Re: KBabel/win32: GNU gettext license
Message-Id: <200412071325.14190.bastian () kde ! org>
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> The funny thing is that gettext already links to non-GPL library, 'msvcrt=
',
> within Cygwin project and similar efforts:
>
> http://gettext.sourceforge.net/
>
> GPL license allows to link with nonGPL runtime libraries shipped with
> compiler. That's unclear because we can pretty well consider unmodified Qt
> as an runtime. 'Where's the boundary?' question looks like a philosophical
> issue for me.

The boundary is defined by the GPL, clause 3
"However, as a special exception, the source code distributed need not incl=
ude
anything that is normally distributed (in either source or binary form) wit=
h=20
the major components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of the operating system =
on=20
which the executable runs, unless that component itself accompanies the=20
executable."

So in order to be able to link to a commercial Qt, that commercial Qt versi=
on=20
should normally be distributed along with one of the major components and n=
ot=20
along with the executable (kbabel)

I think (but I could be wrong) that the difference here is that msvcrt is=20
normally distributed along with the Visual C++ compiler, and that Qt is=20
normally not distributed along with the compiler or any other major part of=
=20
the operating systme and that as such, you are not allowed to link to a=20
commercial Qt while you are allowed to link to msvcrt on the windows=20
platform.

Personal opinion only, not a laywer, no legal advice, yada yada yada.

Cheers,
Waldo
=2D-=20
bastian@kde.org   |   Free Novell Linux Desktop 9 Evaluation Download
bastian@suse.com  |   http://www.novell.com/products/desktop/eval.html

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